NewsQantas cancels order for 35 Dreamliners Qantas has cancelled an order for 35 Boeing 787-9 aircraft to reduce capital expenditure. Deliveries of 15 787-8s to Jetstar, its low-cost subsidiary, will continue as planned, adds Australia's flag carrier. The 787-8s will allow the transfer of Airbus A330s from Jetstar to Qantas Domestic, and the eventual retirement of Qantas's Boeing 767 fleet.
LinkMore Cuts Loom As Fuel Costs Hurt QantasAustralia's struggling flag carrier Qantas will face pressure to further cut costs and streamline operations with its earnings poised to take a dive due to high fuel expenses and a bleeding international division.
LinkLufthansa To Make Cabin Crew Pay OfferLufthansa will present cabin crew with a new pay offer on Wednesday that it believes should avert any massively disruptive strike action.
LinkGerman Airport Hahn Risking InsolvencyGermany's Hahn Airport needs government funding to avoid insolvency, a shareholder representative was quoted as saying on Wednesday, as falling passenger numbers exacerbate losses.
LinkUnited details 787 international routes United Airlines will fly its Boeing 787-8s to Amsterdam, Lagos, London Heathrow, Shanghai and Tokyo Narita beginning 4 December. The Chicago-based Star Alliance carrier will fly its 787s between Houston Intercontinental and Amsterdam daily from 4 December to 29 March 2013, Los Angeles and Tokyo daily from 3 January 2013, Houston and Lagos five-times per week from 7 January 2013, Houston and London daily from 4 February 2013 to 29 March 2013, and Los Angeles and Shanghai daily from 30 March 2013, according to an employee bulletin today. It operates all of the routes on other aircraft currently.
LinkLAN to take delivery of 787 on 31 August Latin American airline group LAN will take delivery of its first Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner on 31 August, becoming the fourth operator of the aircraft and the first in South America. The aircraft (CC-BBA) completed final assembly in July and will be unveiled in a ceremony at Boeing's Everett, Washington, facilities on 30 August. It will depart on a flight to Santiago on 31 August at about 17:00 local time and arrive in the Chilean capital on 1 September at about 09:00, says LAN.
LinkFAA rejects Bell 429 exemption request from part 27 weight limit The US Federal Aviation Administration has agreed to review the metrics for determining certification standards for civil helicopters in the wake of a potentially damaging decision on an exemption request for the Bell 429. Seeking to improve the Bell 429's market base, Bell Helicopter Canada earlier this year requested an exemption from the part 27 standard that would allow the airframer to increase the maximum take-off weight by 226kg, raising the limit to 3,400kg (7,500lb). Increasing the weight would remove one of the key drawbacks for the Bell 429 in the market. It is unable to carry eight passengers and a full load of fuel within the part 27 limit, unless the operator removes several systems necessary for using instrument flight rules.
LinkRestructured AirBaltic readies for privatizationAirBaltic (BT) is moving forward with privatization plans as the government-owned carrier anticipates its cost-cutting program leading to profitability by 2014. BT CEO Martin Gauss said in Riga the carrier is “open for investors” although the timing for when the cost of shares will be announced has not yet been decided. Gauss also confirmed the carrier is in talks with potential investors, which include airlines and investment companies. “Nothing will be ruled out,” he said.
LinkUPS extends TNT offer period as antitrust review continuesUnited Parcel Service (UPS) extended the offer period for its proposed acquisition of TNT Express from Aug. 31 to Nov. 9, by which time the companies hope antitrust concerns about the merger will have been resolved. The European Commission, however, is conducting an in-depth review of the combination’s antitrust implications and earlier this month indicated that a decision may not be made until as late as 2013 on the €5.16 billion ($6.4 billion) deal.
LinkEl Al incurs $6.2 million 2Q loss on falling revenueEl Al Israel Airlines reported a second-quarter net loss of $6.2 million, narrowed from a $19.7 million net deficit in the year-ago period, on a 3% year-over-year decline in revenue to $516.8 million. “Revenues from passengers dropped by about 1%, the result of the decrease in the number of passengers and the devaluation of the euro vis-à-vis the dollar,” the Tel Aviv-based carrier said in a statement. “Cargo revenues also dropped, by about 7.2%.”
LinkInquiry details confusion behind 777 airprox with C-17s US investigators have detailed the confused co-ordination between air traffic controllers that led to a close encounter between an American Airlines Boeing 777 and a pair of US Air Force Boeing C-17s off the New York coast. The 777 pilots received three resolution advisories from their collision-avoidance system, two ordering a descent and the third demanding a climb, after air traffic control efforts to separate the three aircraft failed.
LinkIsrael may lease up to eight V-22s Faced with insufficient resources to fund the purchase of Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltrotors, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) are instead considering leasing six to eight of the aircraft for the Israeli air force. Last year the service identified an operational requirement for the V-22, following an evaluation of the type at US Marine Corps facilities in the USA. The IAF had hoped to buy "a number" of tiltrotors for "special operations".
LinkSouthwest explores flying outside continental U.S.Southwest and Transport Workers Union's Local 556 are waiting to see if flight attendants approve a measure that would allow the airline to fly routes to Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico and non-U.S. destinations. The union president says the deal would be a launching pad for the airline to plan for growth.
LinkJetBlue reportedly will boost flights to ColombiaJetBlue Airways plans to increase its flights to Colombia, a newspaper based in Bogota, Colombia, reports. Portafolio also reported that JetBlue will add a route between Bogota and Puerto Rico in 2013. The carrier is also considering flights to Medellin, Cali and Barranquilla, the newspaper says.
LinkFAA should require faster fix on Airbus power failure, experts sayThe Federal Aviation Administration gave U.S. airlines four years in 2010 to fix an issue that could cause cockpit power failures in Airbus A320 aircraft. While there have been no accidents attributed to it, some safety advocates say the fix should have been required sooner. An FAA representative says it estimated that it would take 46 hours to fix each jet, which determined the time frame for repairs.
LinkUnion for American Airlines pilot requests updated infoThe Allied Pilots Association, which represents pilots at American Airlines, has asked for updated financial data on the carrier. A bankruptcy court hearing on American's motion to cancel its agreement with the union is scheduled for Sept. 4. AMR, the parent company of American, filed for bankruptcy last year.
LinkHawaiian Airlines menu upgrades aim to offer authenticityHawaiian Airlines, the last U.S. carrier to serve free meals in coach, has upgraded its menu. Executive chef Chai Chaowasaree has designed menus with a Hawaiian taste, including sweet bread and papaya and pineapple slices for breakfast. "At the heart of the Hawaiian Airlines experience is the authentic hospitality of our people," said Blaine Miyasato, Hawaiian's vice president of product development.
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